Unless
you’ve spent a lot of time in Louisiana, you’re probably thinking, “What is
lagniappe?” While it may sound like a city in Iceland, lagniappe is a cajun
expression that roughly translates as “something extra,” akin to the 13th
cookie in a baker’s dozen. It’s when a business person offers a customer
something extra they weren’t expecting. I recently heard this expression for
the first time at the CFI Convention, during a presentation by motivational
speaker Ken Futch, who stressed the difference that a little lagniappe can make
in many aspects of life, from business to relationships. Many of us are so
focused on the big picture, the bottom line, that we overlook the little
things, and those little things can really add up.
I am reminded of an editorial I wrote last year about my experience with a
sloppy installer. To recap quickly, in addition to his ragged appearance and
battered truck, this installer used my tools and left them scattered all over
the patio. Even worse, after removing the washer and dryer from the nook they
were bolted into, he left them in the middle of the dining room while the
subfloor was being repaired. Because they had been bolted in place for more
than 20 years, the backs and sides of the washer and dryer were covered in
spider webs. Rather than cleaning them off and covering them, the installer
just left them as they were, creating a scene that was more like a haunted
house than a job site. Shortly after the editorial ran, I received an angry
letter from a reader who accused me of unfairly criticizing the installer.
“Cleaning that washer and dryer was NOT the installer’s job,” the reader
chided, “it was your job!” While this reader may be correct that the cleanup in
question was not officially part of the installer’s responsibilities, he is
clearly forgetting the old maxim that the customer is always right. Although
the installation was completed satisfactorily otherwise, the sloppy work habits
and bad attitude of this installer left a lot to be desired, so I contacted the
property management company and told them they should use a truly professional
installer from now on. So, while the installer completed the job and got paid,
he probably will miss out on a lot of future work. In this case, a few extra
minutes of cleanup time could have yielded referrals instead of a complaint and
loss of future work. In short, a little lagniappe can make a big difference!
FCI Editorial: A Little Lagniappe Can Make a Big Difference
November 19, 2009
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